


Make a Choice

by Moonshoes_Potter



Series: Sam, Dean, Cas, and Cassie [1]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: I'm new to tagging, Just Bear With Me, M/M, Mentions of Achievement Hunter, Mentions of Captain America 3, Mentions of Percy Jackson - Freeform, Oblivious Sam, Plot Fold - Sam has Hallucifer in the bunker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-07-16 05:48:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7254979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonshoes_Potter/pseuds/Moonshoes_Potter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sam and Dean are researching some missing people. But, out of nowhere, Cas shows up with a teenage girl. She decides to help the boys with their case, and they may need her help more than they think. Meanwhile, Dean is struggling with unfamiliar feelings, which he doesn't know how to handle.</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>I suck at summaries. It's good, if you give it a chance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Make a Choice

**Author's Note:**

> Disclamer: I don't own anything I mention except the original character. I apologize to anyone who shares a name with her - I didn't mean to copy anybody.
> 
> I also don't know much about schizophrenia, but I did my best to simulate it. Don't use this as a source of information about it.

Dean can’t sit still any longer. He and Sam have been researching their most recent case for hours. Well, Dean has. Sam has been distracted by his Lucifer hallucinations ever since last week, and they seem to be getting worse. Dean is worried about his brother, but he thinks it can be put off until they figure out what’s causing trouble.

Deciding that he can’t research on his own (Sam isn’t helping at all anymore), Dean decides to call Castiel. Maybe his billions of years watching Earth will provide the information they need.

“Hey man, I’m gonna get Cas,” Dean gets up from his chair and walks to an empty space by the bookshelf. He can see Sam nod absently before he closes his eyes and prays, “Cas, it’s me. We’re on a case and we’re stumped. You got time to get down to the bunker?”

Dean opens his eyes to the flutter of wings announcing the angel’s arrival. He sighs in relief. Finally, he thinks, We’ll get some answers.

Cas walks towards the brothers, glancing at each of them before he says, “What’s the problem?”

“Well,” Dean begins, “Some reports of people going missing in a few cities started popping up, so we decided to split up and see if it was our kind of problem. When I talked to the vics’ relatives, they all said the same thing.” He pauses. This is gonna sound weird.

“What? What did they say?” Castiel narrows his eyes.

“They said someone captured ‘em and offered ‘em a choice between two of their loved ones. A spouse or a sibling, a parent or a best friend, any two,” Dean gives Cas an exasperated look. “Both people were behind an open door. They said whoever they chose got out and the other was locked in. The ones behind the door are the people reported missing.”

Cas looks puzzled, but Sam is still dazed. He’s sweeping his eyes around the ceiling of the bunker.

The angel is silent for a moment, then asks, “Did they say anything about what captured them?”

“That’s the kicker,” Dean says with a small smile, “The ones who weren’t too busy crying with guilt told me the guy had something to do with crossroads.”

+++++

“It can’t be a demon,” Cas states after a minute of pacing (and a few annoyed groans from Sam). “Crossroad demons have to be summoned; they do not capture their subjects.”

Dean sips his beer with a resigned sigh. “The weirdest part is that the witnesses said the guy was a Batman villain.”

“...What?” Cas tilts his head. Right. He still doesn’t understand that reference. Despite the situation, Dean smirks.

“Apparently, the kidnapper had two faces. Like Two-Face, except neither of them were charred and burned. Just two different expressions, split down the middle.” The angel still doesn’t understand completely, but he seems satisfied for the time being.

“Well, maybe--” Castiel breaks off. He lifts his head like he’s listening to shocking news from a school P.A. system.

“What?” Dean asks, “Problems on the angel radio?”

“I have to go,” And with a flutter of wings, he’s gone.

“Son of a bitch.”

+++++

A bookshelf against the wall, a comfortable armchair, and a dresser and bed shoved into another corner. This child doesn’t spend a lot of time doing anything but reading. Castiel looks around to see the girl lying in her bed. He taps two fingers to her head, and her eyes flutter open. She jumps and reaches for her nightstand. A lamp flickers on and glasses meet her face. They can see each other clearly.

Castiel is wearing his normal trenchcoat and lost expression. The girl has a white T-shirt and black shorts. Her wavy brown hair is shaved on one side, emphasizing her large ear, the other of which is covered by hair. She is a very thin, average-looking girl. She probably lived a normal life up to this point.

“Who are you?” She has a deep voice for a fourteen-year-old, but it can not even begin to compare to Dean’s.

“I am-” Castiel begins, but he is interrupted.

“Oh, wait,” The girl looks up, as if trying to remember, “You’re that one actor my brother’s obsessed with.” Castiel could not look more confused. “The one with the weird name… Miso? Misho? Misha!” She decides. “You’re Misha Collins?”

“No… I am Castiel, an angel of the Lord.” He speaks slowly, still extremely puzzled.

She is not impressed so much as annoyed. “Well, what does an ‘angel’ want at ass o’clock in the morning?” She glares at him. “I have a baby sister upstairs you can bother, if you want to wake everyone else up, too.”

Castiel bites his lip. This will not end well. “Your little sister is dead.”

Her face contorts in rage. “Why, you sonofa-”

“I didn’t kill her!” Castiel says hurriedly. “I detected a massive drop in population. Everyone who was killed is related to you or lives with someone who is.” He sits on her bed.

The girl’s face goes slack, reality knocking the wind out of her. “...Everyone?” She asks weakly. “My parents, sisters, everyone…?”

“I’m afraid so,” Castiel looks down awkwardly. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you are the only connection, and the only survivor.”

The girl blinks away tears and says, “Then what do you want?”

“I’m taking you with me. I have friends who can help figure out who did this, as well as provide comfort.”

She looks at him quizzically then asks if, since he is an angel, can he fly? Of course he can.

“Good. Could you fly to my mom’s house and get me the box from my bathroom? 275 Angela Way, purple paint, middle drawer.” She gets up and starts stuffing clothes from her dresser into a backpack.

“You’re… not going to argue?” Castiel is confused. Humans are usually more stubborn than this.

“I’ve imagined this scenario a thousand times already,” She says grimly. “Anxiety helps prepare you for that sort of thing.”

Castiel doesn’t know how to respond, so he says, “I can retrieve the box. Do not move from this room.”

She is already out the door. “Gotta get my toothbrush and stuff.”

When they meet back at the room, Castiel hands her the box and asks, “What is your name?” He already knows the answer, but it’s a formality.

The girl stops and looks up at him. “Cassandra Jordan. Or Cassie, I don’t care,” She says before going back to packing. Cassie puts the last item in the backpack (a set of five books with illustrated covers) and slings it over her shoulder. She grabs Castiel’s arm and prepares to travel, uttering a goodbye to her old home:

“I believe I can fly.”

+++++

Dean almost gives up praying for Cas to get his feathery ass back when he sees the angel appear. Only he hasn't returned alone. A scrawny girl is holding his arm with one hand, and the other is helping her to support the massive backpack she’s carrying. The newcomer glances from an absent minded Sam to a confused Dean, then drops her luggage on the nearest chair.

“Cas…” Dean begins, his voice rising. “Who the hell is this?”

“Cassandra Jordan,” answers Cas, unfazed by Dean’s anger. “She will be staying with you.” Another flutter of wings, and the room now has a population of three.

Dean looks towards Sam. He’s usually the one to handle kids, not Dean. Alas, Sam is still out of it, so he'll have to do it himself.

“Where are your parents?” Is the question he decides to start with. “Shouldn't you be at home sleeping?”

Cassie looks up and glares at him. She starts walking over to his seat with a book in her hand. “Oh, Castiel didn't tell you?” She says harshly. “They're dead.”

“Oh.” Dean’s stomach twists with empathy. An orphan? She'll fit right in. “What happened to them?”

“Well, Castiel showed up in my bedroom and told me they’d all dropped dead Chitauri-style…” She trails off.

“And you believed him?” Dean asks incredulously.

The girl snorts. “Of course not. I left my room to visit my younger sister when Castiel flew off to get something for me. The test proved he was an angel and that my sister was dead.”

Cassie sits down near Dean. She opens her book, but her eyes catch Sam glaring at an empty space on the wall. Dean opens his mouth to make an excuse, but Cassie addresses Sam instead.

“You okay?” Her eyes are shining with something, but Dean can't tell what. Sam looks around and notices her for the first time.

“Yeah,” Sam says, running a hand through his hair and glancing down at the book he was trying to read for the past hour.

“Bullshit,” she responds simply. Sam looks up at her, surprised. “You're clearly distracted by something. You also didn't look me in the eye.”

Sam furrows his brow. “Why does it matter whether I looked you in the eye?”

“People always avoid eye contact when they're lying. Now tell me,” Cassie leans forward. “What’s eating you?”

“You probably won't understand.”

“Try me.”

The Winchesters raise their eyebrows at each other, then begin explaining Sam’s journey to Hell, and the journey out. The story ends with Sam explaining his hallucinations of Lucifer annoying him day and night. When they finish, Cassie looks impressed.

“Huh. So you've got something like me.” The words sound simple, but in context they imply so much to the contrary.

“You've been to Hell?” Sam asks, almost condescendingly.

“No, but I do have schizophrenia,” Cassie’s voice softens, her confidence wavering. “You've got your distractions, I have mine.” She gestures vaguely to the doorway of the library. “Right now, there’s a guy in a suit staring at me with some metal floating around his face. I ignore him mostly.”

The brothers share a glance as Cassie looks back down at her book. Sam is interested in how easily she brushes this off. When he voices his confusion, she answers without looking up from her book.

“I'm used to it. After a while, it just becomes white noise.” Cassie looks back up at the table and notices the large, unorganized pile of books and papers. “Shit, guys. Do you have to make my life harder?” She stomps over to the mess and begins organizing it. Sam and Dean step back quickly and watch as their research is made neat.

After a few minutes of paper shuffling, Cassie is satisfied with the new order and goes back to her book. The brothers sit awkwardly back down and continue their work, but not without sneaking a few glances at this strange newcomer.

+++++

The silence is interrupted a half hour later when Cassie asks if she can borrow a computer. Dean slides her his laptop, but he doesn’t remember that he forgot to close a few windows.

“Christ, Dean,” Cassie says upon opening it. “Not only are you looking at useless porn, but it’s also very low quality.” She exits the video with disgust and reaches into her backpack to pull out some earbuds, which she plugs in. After a few minutes of watching the screen she starts to smile for the first time that night.

Dean is still bored out of his mind. “Watching some high-quality stuff now?” he muses. But when he leans over to see the screen, he sees a YouTube video about a game with very specific graphics. “What’s so funny about Minecraft?”

“It’s not the game, it’s the guys playing it.” Cassie unplugs her headphones and the Winchesters’ ears are met with three male voices screaming and another three laughing. Cassie glances at each of the brothers before choosing a different video, this one with a lower picture quality and some of the people missing. “Wanna watch the first one?” She asks with a glint in her eye and a smile on her lips.

The brothers mutter “Sure,” and move to sit near the screen. They laugh as the guys cause shenanigans and make fun of each other. All three of them crack up as the british one pours lava on the other four’s wooden house, which is followed by more screaming.

None of them realize a fourth person is watching until Castiel says “I do not understand,” All three of them jump and look around, but the angel is unfazed. “What is the significance of a cube of obsidian with four gold cubes on top of it?”

Dean hesitates before answering, “It’s the friggin’ Tower of Pimps, dude.”

Castiel tilts his head, to which Cassie chuckles, “It’s a sort of trophy Gavin made on a whim with Ray’s gold. It’s the reward for each of the games after Wipeout.”

Sam’s eyes widen, “They made Wipeout in Minecraft?”

Cassie’s smile grows, “Dude, they made everything and the kitchen sink in Minecraft”

“How do they have enough time between jobs and stuff?”

“That is their job. They are literally paid to play video games.” The Winchesters’ jaws drop. On that note, Cassie presses the button to keep playing the video.

It’s another two Let’s Play’s when Castiel speaks up, “Shouldn’t you be researching your case?” The brothers look at the floor and get up slowly, each muttering a 

“yeah,” before distractedly going back to their books.

Cassie snoops around them until Dean gets tired of her being over his shoulder. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“Yes,” She sits down and pulls the laptop closer. “Fill me in.”

Dean sighs and tells her the story. When he mentions the two-faced kidnapper, she stands abruptly and fetches a large blue book from her backpack. He trails off, but she fills the silence.

“You’ve got yourself a god,” Both brothers’ heads snap up. Cassie points to a picture of a man with two faces standing in front of two doors. “Janus, god of crossroads and decisions.”

Dean pulls the book closer. “How do we learn about this guy?”

“Well, you could either read the textbook or the book series. Janus appears in the fourth installment, so the story will make no sense whatsoever unless you read the other three.”

Dean grabs the large blue book and states, “Well, I’m no bookworm. Sammy can read the series.”

Cassie runs over to her backpack to fetch the books. Sam picks up the first one with apprehension. “Percy Jackson? That movie sucked.”

“That movie had about three and a half things in common with the book. Trust me, the book is much better,” She grabs the fifth book and sits with her feet on another chair. “Read up.”

+++++

“This is not a school-approved textbook,” Dean decides after five minutes.

“It’s narrated by the same guy who used Diet Coke to strike fear into the hearts of some dolphin-pirates.” Sam glances down at his book, then back at Cassie, raising his eyebrows. “It’s in the second series, third book, I think.” She shrugs and keeps reading.

The silence is broken again by Sam, who asks Cassie, “So… this Annabeth chick is gonna get with Percy?” The question sends her near to tears of laughter.

“You, my friend, are four books ahead of your time,” She says with a happy sigh. Sam accidentally inhales his drink, but he smiles, too.

+++++

“So, basically, Janus is a kidnapping crossroads demon that doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”

“Aaaaand he’s a god, so I assume he can’t be killed.”

“Well, we’ve killed gods before. I mean, there was that truth goddess and the one with the virgins.”

“Christ, guys,” Cassie shakes her head. “Your show is even weirder than my brother made it sound.”

“What?”

“I’ll tell you later. We’ve got more important things to do.”

Sam looks at Dean before asking, “So… How do we catch this guy?”

“Well, as far as I know,” Cassie laces her fingers, “The only way to trap him is to lure him. We have four people, right? One person gets kidnapped, the other two are their choices, and the fourth can kill the asshat.”

“Wait, you’re assuming you are coming with us,” Dean furrows his brow. “And you are definitely not.”

She raises her hands in surrender. “Well, you wanna catch him, don’t you? Do you have another person available?”

“You may know a lot about Janus, but knowledge is different than experience. Plus, you don’t know us very well, so you will most likely be the fourth person left while one of us chooses between the other two.” Sam pinches the bridge of his nose, ignoring Lucifer’s squeals of “Pineapples!” and trying to concentrate.

“Well, I’ll just need experience, won’t I?” Cassie asks, as if it’s obvious.

The brothers share a look and reluctantly agree. They decide Sam will continue researching with Cas while Dean takes Cassie down to the shooting range. Castiel sits down after a moment of eye contact with Dean, silently asking if this whole thing is a good idea. Dean nods, then takes Cassie’s shoulder and leads her downstairs.

“So, you know anything about guns?” Dean asks, loading the first one.

“Only what I’ve seen on Mythbusters,” She answers, watching the process carefully.

“Well, they’re really loud and deadly. So don’t shoot unless you need to.”

Dean puts the gun in Cassie’s right hand, then helps her get into the proper position to shoot at the target. Her hands shake a bit, but she manages to hit the edge of the target on the first try.

“Not bad,” Dean lines up his own gun as an example, “But you gotta stop shaking. It screws up your aim too much. Try using one hand to steady the other.”

Cassie follows his advice and fires again, the bullet hitting only slightly closer to the middle. After she hits a few inches away from the middle, Dean decides to show her how to load the gun. This she is better at.

“You’re good with organized things,” Dean comments.

“I’m a fast learner, and I excel at processes that make sense,” She says, finishing the load. “You can imagine my surprise when Castiel shows up and takes me somewhere by flying, but I can’t see anything going past. Just ‘Poof!’ and I’m there.”

“Yeah, Cas doesn’t really understand the human need for logic,” Dean says with a smile.

“Well, he’s been on Earth for a few years. You’d think Castiel would pick up on that.”

They reload the gun a few more times before Dean asks, “Hey, why do you keep calling him ‘Castiel’? ‘Cas’ is fine.”

Cassie puts the gun down for a moment before looking at Dean and saying, “Well, in my experience, people don’t like it when other people are on nickname terms with their crush.”

She continues loading the gun as if it’s nothing while Dean sputters, “C-crush? What makes you think that-”

Cassie interrupts, “Oh, the usual signs. Prolonged stares, smiling at the mention of their name, looking to each other for reassurance. They’re all signs of mutual pining.” She shrugs.

Dean takes the gun from her hand. “What the hell are you talking about?”

She knits her eyebrows. “Sorry, did I read the situation wrong? My assumptions aren’t always a hundred percent accurate.” Dean nods and gives her the gun back. “Do you mind telling me what’s really happening? I want to know so I don’t misread something like that again.” Cassie doesn’t seem prying, she just seeks knowledge.

After a hesitation, Dean says slowly, “Well, we’ve known each other for a while, but… I don’t know.” Cassie makes a small hum of acknowledgement and reloads the gun.

+++++

Research reveals that Janus can be killed in a similar manner to Vesta, except the oak stake is dipped in the blood of a crossroads demon, not a virgin. Keeping in mind that Cassie needs experience, the Winchesters let her tag along and try to collect the blood. The plan was for Dean to summon the demon into a trap, Cassie to get the blood, with Sam and Castiel hiding to provide support if needed.

Cassie stands panting behind the crossroads demon with a knife in one hand and a bottle in the other. She runs the plan through her head again before walking up to her as quietly as possible. She strikes into the thigh, where she knows a large artery is. The knife is removed and quickly replaced with a bottle, which fills up halfway before the red-eyed bitch catches up to the situation and turns around. This is when Castiel appears and stabs her in the chest, which causes Cassie to squeal and the demon to scream and flicker.

Sam is still in his hiding place, looking dazed. The three others walk over to him, Cassie still shaking. Dean claps his brother on the shoulder to snap him out of it. He makes an apology and trudges over to the car.

“Dude, we gotta do something about Luci.” Dean decides after some silent driving.

Sam sighs, “Like what?”

Castiel speaks up, “I may be able to transfer your visions, but it will be painful.”

Sam turns around and asks angrily, “You couldn’t have mentioned that earlier?”

“I can’t get rid of them completely,” Castiel growls. “Someone else will have to carry your burden, and it will be painful for them too.”

“Well, I’m not sure I can take another off-key word of The Star-Spangled Banner. Maybe I should get a break,” Sam mumbles.

“Why not me?” Everyone looks at Cassie. “I’m used to schizophrenic visions. How different can Satan be?”

“Well, for starters,” Sam meets Cassie’s eyes. “You can actually feel when Lucifer touches you. For instance, if he has you in a choke hold, you really can’t breathe.”

“That’s not all bad,” Cassie says with a smile, “That means I can punch him in the face.” Sam furrows his brow, then agrees.

“We can’t do it here,” Dean turns up the music. “Let’s wait ‘til we get to the bunker.”

+++++

Two chairs are set up facing each other. Sam sits in one, Cassie in the other. Castiel stands between them, a hand on each of their heads, while Dean circles them. Cas closes his eyes in concentration and red lights up his veins, spreading from his hand on Sam’s head to the rest of his arm. The light travels to his other arm, where it meets Cassie’s head.

Halfway through the process, however, Castiel stumbles and falls. As Dean catches him from behind, the red light retreats to both of Cas’ hands, so Sam and Cassie have their fair share of Lucifer. Dean drags a limp Castiel to a chair, then pushes it over to the two slumped figures with fading red on their forehead. Cas is still vaguely conscious, but Sam and Cassie are out cold.

Dean swears and runs to the kitchen to get a glass of water and two wet rags. He hands the glass to the angel, whose hands are dangerously hot. Then, he lays the cold rags on Sam and Cassie’s heads, also hot. After pulling up a chair for himself, he sits and waits for them to wake up.

+++++

“Hello, it’s me.”

“WHAT the HELL?” Cassie bolts upright and finds herself in a music video. Is this Lucifer? She thinks.

Suddenly, the walls dematerialize and become bookshelves. She’s back in the library. Sam is sitting, alarmed, in front of her. Dean and Castiel were watching them with their arms crossed until the two woke up. Cas examines Cassie’s eyes carefully while Dean looks at Sam’s. Before she asks, Dean tells them the story of what happened.

“So… we both have visions now?” Sam is exasperated.

“Dunno. What did you see when you woke up?”

Sam narrows his eyes in confusion. “A music video?”

“It’s that one Adele song, right?” As the words leave her mouth, Cassie hears the song start to play. Both she and Sam whip their heads around, looking for the source. They glance at Dean and Cas and get the impression that only the two of them can hear it.

“Yeah, we got visions.” Sam decides.

“So… Where’s Satan?”

“You called?”

Cassie doesn't recognize the voice, but she knows that face.

“Do you like my outfit? His name’s Nick.”

“What’s up with you? I was expecting devil horns and sunburns, not Mark Pellegrino with peeling skin.”

Dean and Cas give her a baffled look. They walk over to the table, where four oak stakes are lined up next to the bottle of demon blood. As Sam catches Cassie up on what Lucifer is like, they dip the stakes in one by one, then pass one out to each.

“All of us need to have one, just in case we get a good shot,” Dean explains as he hands one to Cassie.

“What do we do now?” She asks.

“We wait until three of us are kidnapped,” Dean sighs, “There’s no way to summon him, so we gotta wait.”

The three humans each find some way to entertain themselves. Sam continues reading the Percy Jackson book, Cassie listens to music with headphones, and Dean browses his computer. Castiel simply stands in a corner and watches them.

Suddenly, between the shouts of “GOAL!” from Lucifer as he kicks a ball into Cassie’s head, Sam is overcome by a sudden wave of sadness. He’s not sure what caused it, but he’s starting to tear up over nothing.

“Hey, you okay?” Dean looks over, concerned.

“Yeah, I just--” The words get caught in Sam’s throat. What the hell am I so sad about?

Cassie happens to glance over and notices Sam tearing up. They're difficult to see, but her eyes are watering as well. “Sorry about that,” She apologizes, “That song brings back memories. I'll switch to something else.”

Sam and Dean share a look before returning to their activities.

+++++

Dean is just starting to doze off when he hears sounds of muffled yelling. He opens his eyes to find himself tied to a chair in front of two open doors. In the left doorway, Sam is tied to a similar chair, only his mouth is gagged. Cas sits behind the other door in the same condition.

Dean whips his head around, looking for the supposed Two-Face. Once they see he’s awake, Cas and Sam stop yelling. The latter then closes his eyes in concentration, for reasons unknown to Dean.

“Dean Winchester,” booms a voice from behind him. The source walks around the chair until his whole figure is clearly visible. He wears a simple, businesslike suit and his hair is neatly combed. Janus’ dapper appearance is marred by his unusual face. Or, faces.

One side is grinning maliciously with an evil glint in his eye. The other has a pompous smile, not unlike the one an entrepreneur would give to one of his clients.

“I am offering you a choice,” Janus says with both sides of his face. “One option allows your brother to go free. The other,” He pauses, as if for dramatic effect. His next words make Dean feel like the ground swept out from under his feet.

“...Will let your brother die, and set free the man you love.”

+++++

Sam tuned out the god’s words and everything else as soon as he saw Dean wake up. All of his brainpower is focused on how he feels: afraid. He concentrates on this strong emotion because he knows Cassie will feel it too.

When he felt sadness from her, Sam realized that they could feel each other’s powerful feelings. This is how he needs to contact her. He scanned the room a moment ago to find that they were actually in the bunker’s dungeon. The doors were added on, but they are still home.

Sam focuses his fear towards the dungeon. It’s familiar to him, so Cassie should inherently know the way. He gets the sudden feeling of reassurance, and he knows Cassie got the message.

Now that he knows Cassie is on her way, Sam returns to his current situation. He doesn’t, however, hear anything but Dean’s shocked breaths. Sam doesn’t know what prompted his brother’s surprise, but he puts a mortified mask on his face to show Janus he heard everything.

+++++

Dean has trouble breathing. Why does he say that? Is he a friggin’ mind reader? But I wasn’t thinking that! Sam’s eyes are darting from Janus to Dean. Cas is just staring, dumbfounded, at Dean, who feels a blush creeping up his neck.

Sam suddenly sneezes and puts up two fingers with his left hand. A newly established code between them, which means help is on the way.

“Wh-what makes you say that?” Dean stalls, but his voice catches on the shock.

Janus chuckles heartily. “So, you’re still not admitting it to yourself?” Sam’s eyes flicker again, but this time he does it differently. He didn't hear what the god said, 

Dean realizes.

“Well, I -- uh, got a lot on my plate.”

“Please, you’ve handled much more than this,” Janus raises his eyebrows. “Maybe you just don’t think you have a chance.”

At this moment, the two-faced god staggers and falls over, barely breathing. Cassie stands behind him, terrified, with a bloody stake in her hands. She rushes over to Dean and cuts the ropes binding him to the chair. Sam has already escaped and is cutting Cas free.

Dean has a fire in his eyes, so Cassie hands him the stake to finish the god off. She doesn't know what Janus said to upset him, but Dean seems like he wants revenge. He stabs the god once through the heart, then watches as Janus and the room around them dissolve, revealing the bunker’s dungeon.

+++++

Dean is avoiding eye contact with everyone, especially Castiel, who is staring him down. Cassie looks between them and asks simply, “Was I right?”

Dean glares at her, but growls, “Yes.”

Cassie grabs Sam’s arm and drags him out of the dungeon, telling him, “These two have some talking to do.” Sam is bewildered but follows anyway.

“Where are we going?”

“The bar.”

“You're fourteen.”

“I'll get a sugar high from chocolate milk. We just have to get out of here.”

+++++

“Listen, man,” Dean begins but doesn't know where to finish. “I'm sorry I didn't say anything. I was just confused and--”

Cas interrupts him, “Dean, do you love me?” Dean looks at the angel, whose eyes are wide with hope.

After a pause, Dean says, “Yes,” His voice shakes, “Yes, I do.”

A smile spreads across Castiel’s face before he puts his hands on Dean’s shoulders and pulls him in for a kiss. Dean kisses back, and he has never been happier.

+++++

Deciding against a bar, Sam and Cassie go to the movie theater. They're waiting to buy their tickets to Captain America: Civil War when two kids about Cassie’s age walk in behind them: a laughing boy with his arm around a girl.

“Cute one just entered the building,” Cassie whistles, sneaking a glance towards the presumed couple. Sam laughs and steps up to the booth while Cassie watches the two.

However, upon further inspection, the kids seem to be twins. The boy had just told a joke before he and his sister walked in, and was leaning on her for support while he laughed. This observation cheers Cassie up considerably.

As they wait in line for popcorn, (in the line conveniently next to the twins’) Sam gives Cassie a friendly nudge. “Go get him, tiger.” Cassie gives him a slightly confused look before smiling again and striding over to the pair.

To Sam’s surprise, Cassie starts flirting with the girl while her brother orders. He grins even wider when he sees the two exchange phone numbers. Before she makes her leave, Cassie looks Sam in the eye and raises her hands in the imitation of a tiger’s claws behind the brother's back.

Sam laughs as Cassie skips over to him, holding her hands out for popcorn. He obliges and ruffles her hair before leading her to their theater.

“Don't you dare sit in front of me, Moose.”

“How do you know about that?”

“I’ll tell you later, but first find some place where I won't have to see over your head.”

+++++

“I still think Tony could have handled that final fight better.”

“Like T’Challa said, revenge consumed him. He wasn’t exactly at his most logical.”

Sam and Cassie are still discussing the movie when they walk into the bunker. They have both forgotten why they left, until they see Dean and Castiel sitting at the table. Dean has his head resting on Cas’ shoulder while the two of them watch another video on Dean’s laptop. The Winchester seems to be dozing off.

Cassie smiles at Castiel, who returns it. She then pulls up two chairs and invites Sam to sit and continue reading. Sam starts the last book in the series and happily discusses it with Cassie as his brother and Cas watch their video. Dean sleeps contently while Cas chuckles at Gavin’s shenanigans.

Everyone is happy.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, Hecate is technically the goddess of crossroads, but Janus fits better with the story. Hope you liked it!


End file.
